In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The ninth line, “And lead us not into temptation,” sounds confusing. Why would God lead us into temptation? James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” So if God does not tempt us, why would He lead us into temptation?

If we read on in James 1:14, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This verse means that we can place ourselves in situations where we are tempted, but I do not think this fully addresses what the line in the Lord’s prayer means.

When I cannot understand something or I want to go deeper with the Scriptures, I return to the original language of the Scriptures. The original word is “peirasmos”. This word means to make trial of or a putting to the test. In the context of the Lord’s prayer, the purpose of the temptation is to test us, to see if we will rely on God and His Word. To see if we will believe His promises even when we do not feel it or cannot see Him at work. The purpose of the test is for us to rely on His strength, not ours and ultimately increase our faith.

When God tests us, He is not trying to make us fail, but instead refine us and make us stronger. God is not tempting us, but He does allow us to be tempted. When we put ourselves in situations where we are tempted, God may allow the temptation to occur. 1 Corinthians 13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” We must pay attention to this last part of the verse, there is always a way of escape when we face temptation. Always. If you are being tempted and do not see a way of escape, pray and ask God to show you.

When the devil tempts us, he is trying to make us fail, his purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. When God allows us to be tempted, He is giving our faith the chance to grow and for us to learn tactics in spiritual warfare to resist the enemy. As long as there is breath in our lungs, the enemy will not leave us alone. So the sooner we learn how to resist the enemy, overcome temptation and know to look for the way of escape and use it, the better off we will be.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for always providing us a way to escape temptation. We know that as long as we are on this earth, the enemy will continue to try to tempt us. Thank You for not leaving us and never forsaking us, even during times of temptation. Thank You for Your Son. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.